The woman flicked the remaining ash from her blade before sliding it back into its sheath with a smooth motion.

Then she turned and began walking toward them.

The long dark coat draped over her shoulders swayed lightly with each step, the faint glow of lingering light magic fading around her like fireflies. Despite everything that had just happened, her expression remained calm, almost detached.

"Are you two alright?" she asked.

Silvena and Irene did not answer immediately.

They were still staring.

The demon that had cornered them moments ago, one powerful enough to force both of them into desperation, had been erased in seconds.

Effortlessly.

Even Irene, who had spent years training and faced countless opponents, could not hide the disbelief in her eyes.

’Who... is she?’

Then suddenly, Silvena’s eyes widened slightly as recognition surfaced in her mind.

’This woman...’

She had seen her before.

At the entrance of the auction hall.

Back then, her partner accompanying her had nearly started a fight with Ruvian before the woman stopped him with just a few words.

At the time, Silvena had assumed she was merely some rich noble.

But now...

’She is strong.’

The woman before her was someone capable of killing a high-ranking demon.

The woman’s gaze shifted toward Irene. Her eyes lingered briefly on the blackened veins spreading beneath Irene’s skin.

"Ah," she muttered softly.

"You’ve been tainted by Dark Mana." The woman crouched slightly in front of Irene, studying her condition with calm eyes. "Hmm~ you’re surprisingly strong. Most humans would’ve collapsed long ago after this level of exposure."

Irene forced herself upright despite the pain coursing through her body.

"...I’m still alive, at least." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The woman gave a small nod, neither praising nor doubting her.

Then suddenly, Silvena’s expression changed.

’Ruvian...’

Her eyes widened slightly as reality crashed back into her mind.

He was still below.

And by now...

The seven minutes should already be over.

The moment the enchantment reached its limit, his entire body would become paralyzed. He would not even be able to move a finger.

A chill ran through her chest.

Silvena instinctively stepped forward before stopping herself halfway.

Her gaze lifted toward the mysterious woman.

For a brief moment, she was slightly hesitant. Asking for help from a complete stranger was not something she was used to doing.

But right now, pride meant nothing.

Ruvian’s life was at stake.

"Please," Silvena said quickly, unable to fully hide the urgency in her voice. "My partner is still down there fighting a demon. You need to help him."

She pointed toward the massive hole leading deeper underground.

The woman followed her gaze.

Then, unexpectedly, she let out a strangely confident smile.

"You don’t have to worry about that," she said.

"Huh?" Silvena blinked.

Even Irene looked confused.

The woman folded her arms lightly beneath her coat. "My fellow comrade already went down there to save your friend before I arrived here."

This time, her smile softened into something more genuine.

Silvena stared at her.

’A companion?’

The woman glanced toward the dark pit once more before speaking calmly,

"It should be done within mere seconds. He will save your friend... or else I’m going to spank him."

*****

[Ruvian’s POV]

Laughter echoed throughout the dark chamber, bouncing endlessly against the cracked walls and broken pillars.

"Come on! What is your choice?" the demon mocked gleefully. "Pick any of them. If you pick wrong, one of them will explode and kill you on the spot! BAHAHAHA!"

Countless silhouettes moved around the room, shifting from left to right like shadows dancing in the dark. Every single one carried the same appearance, the same presence, and the same twisted grin. Their footsteps scraped across the stone floor from every direction.

Some circled him slowly.

Some stood still.

Others deliberately moved just enough to confuse his senses.

"Now this is getting fun," the demon continued, laughter dripping from every word. "I should’ve done this from the very beginning."

Ruvian remained silent.

His breathing had already grown rough and uneven, each inhale burning slightly in his chest. Sweat rolled down the side of his face while pain spread through his muscles little by little.

His body was reaching its limit.

Slowly, Ruvian tightened his grip around the hilt of his blade.

’Not much time left.’

At most, one minute.

After that, the forced enchantment strengthening his body would completely rebound on him. Once it did, paralysis would spread through his entire body almost instantly.

And when that happened, the fight would end.

His gaze narrowed toward the moving silhouettes.

Even amidst the chaos, he could still faintly sense the flow of mana above through the broken layers of stone separating the battlefield.

Silvena and Irene were still fighting.

Which meant neither of them could come down here yet.

At least not anytime soon.

Ruvian clicked his tongue quietly.

And now that this demon had fully gained the advantage, the bastard had stopped trying to finish the fight quickly.

Instead, he was enjoying himself by toying with him.

Dragging things out purely for amusement.

’Their personalities are truly the worst.’

Ruvian spat bloodied saliva onto the ground before exhaling slowly.

Then he steadied his footing.

The pain in his body no longer mattered now.

Neither did the risk.

If things were going to end here, then he only had one remaining option left.

One attack.

One final gamble attack.

A full bet with everything he had left.

Closing his eyes, Ruvian cancelled his [Night Eyes] spell.

The enhanced vision faded instantly, plunging the chamber back into darkness behind his closed eyelids. Instead of relying on sight, he shifted all of his focus toward another spell.

[Heightened Sense].

His breathing slowed slightly as mana flowed through his body and sharpened every sound, every vibration, and every subtle disturbance around him.

Of course, he still could not directly sense Dark Mana itself.

Not at his current level.

But there was no need for that.

There was another way.

Ruvian lowered his stance slightly before activating [True Authority] and forced all the mana inside the chamber to burst forth from where he was.

BOOOOMMMM!!

A massive shockwave tore across the chamber, roaring through the underground hall like a collapsing storm. Dust exploded into the air while broken pillars trembled from the impact.

All the demon’s silhouettes throughout the chamber flickered as the wave passed through them harmlessly.

Except for one.

Far in the distant corner of the hall, the shockwave rebounded off something solid. At the same time, Ruvian’s [Heightened Sense] caught it clearly.

A tiny disruption.

A real presence hidden among the illusions.

’There you are.’

Ruvian’s grip around his sword tightened. Then, while still keeping his eyes closed, he launched himself forward.

The necklace around his neck reacted violently to his will.

His intent sharpened into a single thought.

Kill that demon!

For one final time, power surged explosively through his body, amplifying his strength beyond its limit. The stone floor shattered beneath his feet as he shot across the chamber at terrifying speed.

Boom!

Fragments of ruined pillars burst apart from the sheer force of his movement while water splashed violently beneath his feet as he tore across the flooded ground.

Any walls in his path were smashed through without hesitation.

Stone debris exploded outward every time his body barreled through another obstacle.

None of it mattered.

Everything be damned!

He would reach that figure no matter what stood in the way.

The distance between them disappeared rapidly.

And finally, the demon saw him.

Its face twisted instantly into complete disbelief.

"Youuuu...! How did you—!?"

Fear flooded its expression for the very first time.

But Ruvian did not stop.

A sharp silver arc flashed through the darkness.

Slash!

The demon’s body split cleanly into two. Blood burst into the air as both halves separated and collapsed apart.

"That’s because you’re loud as hell."

The moment the slash finished, the strength supporting Ruvian’s body vanished completely. The necklace relic also turned to dust.

The countdown had ended.

And thus, the paralysis spread through his limbs all at once.

’Shit. This is going to hurt.’

Unable to stop himself, Ruvian’s body continued sliding violently across the ruined floor from the overwhelming momentum.

He crashed through scattered debris before finally slamming hard against a massive stone boulder. The impact sent a dull shock through his already numb body.

Then his body finally stopped.

[You have overcome your Fate!]

[You have received +1250 Plot Points!]

[You have killed a Greater Demon!]

[You have gained +5 Mana Resonance!]

[’The Endseeker’ has devoured a soul and grew stronger...]

With that, Ruvian had killed the Greater Demon by himself. At the same time, he was worried about Silvena and Irene, and so, he extended his senses...

Then, he detected that there was another presence from above.

’There... is another person who came to help them. I guess... it’s the scholar... from Wellencrest. Haha, they should’ve come... sooner.’

With that thought, Ruvian was relieved and decided to let his body and mind rest.

And so, he closed his eyes.

[Your relevance to the story has shifted!]

*****

[??? POV]

After a while, the chamber finally fell silent.

Only the faint sound of dripping water echoed through the ruined underground hall. And beneath a collapsed section of stone and shattered rubble, Ruvian remained motionless and unconscious.

His breathing was faint.

Then, from the darkness deeper within the chamber, the shadow of a figure slowly approached.

Footsteps echoed lightly against the wet stone floor as the man walked closer to the pile of debris where Ruvian had crashed.

"Huh?"

A low voice sounded out casually.

"So I wasn’t needed after all."

The figure stopped beside the rubble before glancing toward the remains of the split demon nearby. Even in the dim darkness, the surprise in his expression was still visible.

"But still... impressive."

"He actually managed to kill a Greater Demon by himself, even though he is just a Third-Class Magus."

The man crouched slightly before gripping the massive chunk of stone pinning Ruvian down. Then, with almost effortless strength, he lifted the enormous rubble and tossed it aside.

His gaze finally fell onto Ruvian’s exhausted face, which still had the masquerade mask on.

For a brief moment, a faint glare appeared in the man’s eyes as though he was reassessing him entirely.

Then, the man sighed quietly before grabbing Ruvian and lifting him over his shoulder.

"Well," he muttered weakly, "I still need to bring you back safely..."

"...or Lady Lovia is going to kill me."

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 169: Fall of the Ashway Stage (4)]

Plot Points= 12,250